Messier 41 First View

[mikemarotta]

13 January 2021 2314 hours
Messier 41
Found M41 below Sirius. ES-102 mm refractor. Started with 14mm and 2X Barlow and then used 32mm X2 and 25 mmX2 and then 12x50 binoculars. Could not find it naked eye. (Bortle 6-7 sky.)
Identified: Orange-yellow star in the middle of the visual field. About 25 stars easy to see and maybe another 25 fainter also in the field. FOV = 50/77.5 = 0.66 degrees = 38.6 minutes.

14 Jan 1100 hrs. I put all the equipment away and checked the write-ups online about M-41 and found that my observations align with accepted knowledge. (https://www.messier-objects.com/messier-41/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_41) The “orange-yellow” star I found at the center is a K3 red giant. The size of the cluster is given as 38 minutes about the same as a full Moon. Unlike most nights, I did not research my target before going out. So, my observations are getting better.

[Bigzmey]

Nice report Michael. To me M41 looks like a gold fish with shark tail.

[messier 111]

very nice report , thx .

[messier 111]

on my list , thx to you .

[OzEclipse]

Michael,
While you are there, be sure to check out M46. One of my favourite open clusters. My favourite is the gorgeous NGC 3532, which is out of reach of northern observers. M46 is a beautiful condensed open cluster in Can Ma and there is a planetary nebula that appears to surround one of the stars. It isn't in the cluster, just optically in alignment. stunning in a dark sky but observable from decent suburban skies. The planetary is observable from decent suburban skies.Must add it to my list of photo targets.

More info:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_46

Photo:-

By Jose Luis Martinez - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.p ... d=38795641

[John Baars]

Nice report, thanks.
Under LP skies it is not a for the obvious and easy target.
Well done to spot it!

[John Donne]

Well done Mike.
I have always enjoyed this one as well as M46 that Joe has mentioned in his post.

[kt4hx]

Nice Mike. M41 is indeed a wonderful cluster. From our dark site it is an easy naked eye object and even in our suburban backyard at home, it is easy to spot in 10x50 binoculars. It holds up well in most any aperture and is indeed a very busy field to study. Well done.

[kt4hx]

Michael,
While you are there, be sure to check out M46. One of my favourite open clusters. My favourite is the gorgeous NGC 3532, which is out of reach of northern observers. M46 is a beautiful condensed open cluster in Can Ma and there is a planetary nebula that appears to surround one of the stars. It isn't in the cluster, just optically in alignment. stunning in a dark sky but observable from decent suburban skies. The planetary is observable from decent suburban skies.Must add it to my list of photo targets.

More info:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_46

Photo:-

By Jose Luis Martinez - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.p ... d=38795641

Agree with you Joe about M46. It is also one of my favorite open clusters, and the addition of the planetary NGC 2438 to the mix is a wonderful juxtaposition of two types of DSOs. You had a typo in there though, as it is not in CMa, rather in Puppis almost 3.5° from its border with CMa. Just wanted to clarify so as not to confuse folks.

I also agree with you regarding NGC 3532. I first saw it about 10 years ago from about 17N latitude and found it an amazingly beautiful cluster. I have always taken a look at it whenever it was in the sky during one of my trips closer to the equator.

[helicon]

Very nice observation Mike. Congrats.

[Arctic]

M41 is a very nice winter DSO.
An easy naked eye object in a dark sky.

[Makuser]

HI Mike. Thanks for your nice report on M41. I am glad that you had some time to get out with the current winter weather. And M46 is a spectacular gem too. I enjoyed your observing report Mike, and weather permitting, keep up the great work.

[helicon]

Hello Mike and Congratulations. Your report on M41 is the winner of the TSS Visual Report of the Day award for 4-26-2021...

app.php/article/4-26-2021-tss-visual-report-of-the-day

[Gordon]

Congratulations Mike on the VROD!!!

Great report!

[John Baars]

Congratulations on the VROD!

[turboscrew]

Hmm, got to have a peek, the next time I can. And congrats on the VROD!

[NGC 1365]

Thanks for sharing your observations Mike.